1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to frames, braces, and miscellaneous support structures, and more specifically to an improved frame for use with quilting and related handiwork.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Quilting has been, and continues to be, a popular activity. Most quilting is performed on frame structures used to support the quilting materials (e.g., the backing, batting, and quilt top) while the user is stitching them together. Typically, these frames include horizontal, elongate rollers suspended between a pair of side rails to hold the individual quilting materials before and during stitching, as well as the completed quilt after stitching.
Unfortunately, this basic design has numerous shortcomings. For example, the rollers by themselves are free-wheeling, and cannot maintain fore-and-aft tension on the quilting materials. Some frame manufacturers have addressed this problem by placement of threaded bolts with wingnuts or other tightening mechanisms through the side rails and into the respective rollers. However, this arrangement is unsatisfactory in that the wingnuts can be difficult to tighten and untighten, and tend to work themselves loose and unscrew under tension. Other manufacturers have incorporated a ratchet mechanism on one or more of the rollers to lock the rollers at a desired degree of tension. This, too, is not entirely helpful in that the ratchet mechanism does not typically enable fine (infinite) tension adjustment.
In addition, traditional quilting frames do not provide any means for applying lateral (side-to-side) tension on the quilting materials. Thus, while tension can be crudely applied fore-and-aft by the above mechanisms, there is no equivalent means for lateral tension.
Still further, initial placement of the quilting materials onto the rollers of known quilting frames is an imprecise process. The user must estimate the proper centering and alignment of the materials to the rollers, which of course is prone to human error.